Processes involved in the carbon cycle are:

 Photosynthesis – plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and form it into
sugar, starch, and other organic compounds. This is the only process in the cycle that
decreases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
 Feeding – moves carbon in the form of biological molecules along the food chain.
 Respiration – when living organisms (plants, animals, and decomposers) respire they
release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (this is a form of excretion).
 Fossilization – if conditions are not favorable for the process of decomposition, dead
organisms’ decay slowly or not at all. These organisms build up and, if compressed over
millions of years, can form fossil fuels (coal, oil or gas).
 Combustion – the burning of fossil fuels releases stored carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.
 Excretion – when waste is removed from the body (urine). This excreted material can be
broken down during the process of decomposition.
 Egestion – the removal of faeces from an animal that will contain carbon. This egested
material can be broken down during the process of decomposition.
 Decomposition – when complex, carbon compounds in dead organisms, urine and faeces
are broken down into simpler carbon compounds by bacteria or fungi.